Slayer: I Will Eradicate All Monsters

When the soldier-level beast appeared, Damien felt fear for the first time. Staring at the massive beast, he realized the magnitude of the threat before them.

The creature that emerged from the fog was colossal, towering over the battlefield like a nightmare given flesh. Its form was an abomination—part human, part beast, and entirely monstrous. Its sinewy body was humanoid in shape, yet grotesquely exaggerated. Thick cords of muscle rippled beneath its mottled, stone-like skin, broken by jagged patches of bone that jutted out like natural armor.

Its face was a horrifying mockery of humanity, with a grotesquely elongated jaw filled with jagged teeth, each one uneven and stained dark. Hollow cheekbones framed eyes that burned like molten coals, radiating a malevolent intelligence that made it far more terrifying than any mindless beast. Shaggy, matted hair clung to its scalp, dripping with foul-smelling ichor that hissed and steamed when it hit the ground.

Its hands were twisted and massive, with fingers too long and tipped with claws that glistened like polished obsidian. A pair of malformed, half-formed wings sprouted from its back, skeletal and riddled with tears, more grotesque than functional.

A large tail lashed behind it, thick and muscular, its ridged spikes gleaming dully in the faint light. The creature's movements were disturbingly graceful, each step deliberate and predatory, betraying the intelligence of a predator that knew exactly how to strike fear into its prey.

When it roared, the sound was unearthly—a cacophony of human agony and beastly fury, sending vibrations rippling through the air. Its presence seemed to warp the very space around it, as if reality itself recoiled in horror at its existence.

"A soldier-level beast!!" the students screamed in shock. With a sweep of its tail, the students closest to it were sent flying like broken kites, their fates unknown.

"Damn it," Damien cursed and bit down on his tongue. The sweetness of his blood, mixed with the sharp pain, snapped him out of the innate fear the Otherworld beast brought.

He sheathed his sword and shot out toward the beast like a bullet, his speed creating ripples in the air.

A spiked tail smashed down from above. Without looking up, he sidestepped and then jumped into the air. The Otherworld beast swept its tail toward him, the sound of the air being torn apart filling his ears.

"I was waiting for you," Damien said with calculated calm as he spun midair, his hands already on his sword hilt. He moved to perform a sword draw.

A burst of white light flashed, and the sword met the incoming tail with all its power.

Clang! Sparks flew as the spike-covered tail collided with the sword, and then— snap!—Damien's sword broke in half.

"Shi—" A deafening boom followed as the tail slapped into Damien, throwing him into the rubble of a dilapidated building.

"Damien!" Jason called out.

"This is not the time to be distracted. Everyone, attack—there's no other way!" Sara commanded, her voice steady but betraying the tension in her heart.

"You crazy idiot…" she thought, glancing worriedly in the direction Damien had been thrown. The students attacked like there was no tomorrow—they knew this could very well be their last stand. But if they thought they could defeat a mid-tier soldier-level Abyssrend Colossus while still being Apprentice Slayers, they were dreaming.

Minutes later, almost everyone was lying in a pool of blood, half-conscious.

In the ruins of a building, Damien lay sprawled on jagged rocks, his face covered in blood and a gaping hole in the armor he wore.

"How can I be so useless?" he tried to speak, but only mouthfuls of crimson blood came out. "I can't let things end like this… No!" His heart burned with rage. "Come on, get up."

As he struggled to rise, the world around him seemed to slow. The edges of his vision darkened, and a deep, primal hunger surged within him. He could feel his fangs elongating, his senses sharpening. The pain faded, replaced by an overwhelming thirst for blood and destruction.

The target of his fury was clear the Otherworld beasts. His dark brown eyes turned fully crimson as he looked down, noticing his fingernails had already extended into sharp claws.

"Healing Light," he growled, casting the first angel spell he had ever learned. A wave of white light enveloped him, sealing his wounds. He walked to the edge of the crumbled building. The Abyssrend Colossus and its minions loomed over the unconscious students, while Sara stood barely upright, her legs trembling.

" Bang! "The Abyssrend Colossus slammed a claw down toward her, creating a dense cloud of dust. Then it opened its mouth, revealing jagged teeth and a grotesque, lolling tongue as it prepared to devour its prey.

Damien's figure turned into a blur.

Sara stared helplessly as the sharp teeth drew closer. "I'm going to die here… Father, I failed you…" she thought, her vision dimming.

A red shadow clashed with the Abyssrend Colossus, and the figure, bathed in crimson light, looked disturbingly like Damien.

"I must be hallucinating," she thought as the world faded to black

The Abyssrend Colossus staggered back, its jagged claws gouging deep furrows into the ground as Damien crashed into it. His crimson-lit figure was feral, movements quick and unrelenting, every strike aimed to cripple and kill.

The lesser beasts surrounding the Colossus growled and shrieked in response to their master's situation. They surged forward, a grotesque wave of claws, fangs, and distorted limbs. But Damien was already moving.

He darted between them, a red streak of raw fury. One beast lunged at him, claws extended, but he caught its arm mid-swipe and twisted. The sickening crack echoed as the limb snapped like dry wood, and Damien's claws tore through its neck in a single fluid motion.

Another came from behind, but Damien spun, slashing upward with his extended claws. The creature's torso split open, spraying black ichor as it crumpled to the ground. One after another, the minions fell—some crushed under Damien's strength, others severed by his brutal strikes.

The battlefield was chaos, but Damien was a storm at its center. The red glow around him pulsed rhythmically, almost like a heartbeat, each surge of power fueling his relentless assault. Within minutes, the ground was littered with the remains of the Colossus's minions, their twisted bodies broken and motionless.

Yet, even as the last minion fell, Damien didn't stop. His focus was on the true threat—the Abyssrend Colossus.

The massive beast roared, its voice a blend of rage and pain. It slammed its tail into the ground, sending shockwaves that cracked the earth beneath them. Damien barely flinched.

The Colossus lunged, its claws raking through the air. Damien sidestepped the first strike and ducked under the second, his movements unnaturally precise. He retaliated with a powerful swipe of his claws, raking deep gashes into the beast's side. Black ichor poured from the wounds, but the creature barely seemed to notice.

With a roar, the Colossus swung its massive tail, forcing Damien to leap back. The beast charged, closing the gap in an instant, its claws slamming down where Damien had landed. The ground cratered under the force, debris flying everywhere.

Damien shot upward, his movements a blur as he landed on the creature's arm and ran along it toward its head. The Colossus twisted and swiped at him, but he leaped again, flipping through the air to land on its back.

"Angelic Veil,"